Surface covering system and method and apparatus for covering a surface

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a method of covering a surface using a surface covering system. The surface may be a floor, a wall, or a ceiling. In one embodiment, the surface covering system includes a plurality of panels and an adhesive tape that is configured to detachably couple the panels to the surface. The adhesive tape may include a substrate-side adhesive component, a panel-side adhesive component, and a release component between the substrate-side and panel-side adhesive components. The panels may be detachably coupled to the substrate by the adhesive tape such that at least one adhesive layer of the substrate-side adhesive component is adhered to the substrate, at least one adhesive layer of the panel-side adhesive component is adhered to the rear surfaces of the panels, and the release component is between the substrate-side adhesive component and the panel-side adhesive component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/290,892, filed on Mar. 2, 2019, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/638,345,filed on Mar. 5, 2018, the entireties of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND

Surface coverings are used for a variety of reasons, including to coverup imperfections in an underlying surface and to display a desiredaesthetic. Examples of such surface coverings includes flooring thatcovers a subfloor, ceiling panels that cover a ceiling, and wall panelsthat cover a wall. Typically, such surface coverings are permanentlyinstalled on the underlying surface such that removal of the surfacecovering results in damage to the underlying surface and/or damage tothe surface covering. This can be expensive as it requires theunderlying surface to be repaired before another surface covering isplaced thereon if so desired. Furthermore, the surface coverings are notable to be reused because they become damaged during their removal.Thus, a need exists for a surface covering system that enables thesurface covering to be removed from the underlying surface withoutcausing damage to the underlying surface and/or the surface covering.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a surface covering system, a methodof covering a surface, and an apparatus for covering a surface. Thesurface may be a floor, a wall, or a ceiling and the component thatcovers the surface may be a panel, a flooring, or the like. Thus, in oneembodiment the surface covering system includes a plurality of panelsand an adhesive tape that is configured to detachably couple the panelsto the surface. The adhesive tape may include a substrate-side adhesivecomponent, a panel-side adhesive component, and a release componentbetween the substrate-side and panel-side adhesive components.

In one aspect, the invention may be a surface covering systemcomprising: a plurality of panels, each of the panels comprising a frontsurface and a rear surface opposite the front surface; an adhesive tapeconfigured to detachably couple the panels to a substrate, the adhesivetape comprising: a substrate-side adhesive component comprising at leastone adhesive layer; a panel-side adhesive component comprising at leastone adhesive layer; and a release component; wherein the panels aredetachably coupled to the substrate by the adhesive tape in aside-by-side arrangement to cover the substrate, the at least oneadhesive layer of the substrate-side adhesive component being adhered tothe substrate, the at least one adhesive layer of the panel-sideadhesive component being adhered to the rear surfaces of the panels, andthe release component being positioned between the substrate-sideadhesive component and the panel-side adhesive component.

In another aspect, the invention may be a surface covering systemcomprising: a plurality of panels; a first connection componentcomprising a first adhesive layer and a first connection layer, thefirst connection component configured to be coupled to each of thepanels by the first adhesive layer; a second connection componentcomprising a second adhesive layer and a second connection layer, thesecond connection component configured to be coupled to a substrate bythe second adhesive layer; and wherein the panels are configured to bedetachably coupled to the substrate in a side-by-side arrangement tocover the substrate via interaction between the first connection layerof the first connection component and the second connection layer of thesecond connection component.

In yet another aspect, the invention may be a surface covering systemcomprising: a plurality of panels, each of the panels comprising a frontsurface and a rear surface opposite the front surface, the rear surfacecomprising a fibrous material; an adhesive tape comprising at least oneadhesive layer coupled to a substrate; wherein the panels are detachablycoupled to the substrate with the rear surface of the panels adhered tothe adhesive tape; and wherein the panels and the adhesive tape areconfigured so that upon detaching the panels from the substrate theadhesive tape remains coupled to the substrate, and wherein the adhesivetape is configured to be separated from the substrate without damagingthe substrate.

In still another aspect, the invention may be a surface covering systemcomprising: a plurality of panels; an adhesive tape configured todetachably couple the panels to a substrate, the adhesive tapecomprising a first adhesive layer having a first adhesive strength, asecond adhesive layer having a second adhesive strength, and a thirdadhesive layer having a third adhesive strength, the third adhesivelayer being located between the first and second adhesive layers; andwherein the third adhesive strength is less than at least one of thefirst and second adhesive strengths.

In a further aspect, the invention may be a surface covering systemcomprising: a plurality of panels; an adhesive tape configured todetachably couple the panel to a substrate, the adhesive tape comprisinga first adhesive layer having a first adhesive strength, a secondadhesive layer having a second adhesive strength, and a third adhesivelayer having a third adhesive strength; wherein the panels aredetachably coupled to the substrate by the adhesive tape, the firstadhesive layer being adhered to a rear surface of the panel, the secondadhesive layer being adhered to the substrate, and the third adhesivelayer being located between the first and second adhesive layers; andwherein the second adhesive strength is greater than at least one of thefirst and third adhesive strengths.

In a still further aspect, the invention may be a method of covering asurface, the method comprising: a) providing a plurality of panels, eachof the panels comprising a rear surface; b) providing an adhesive tapecomprising a substrate-side adhesive component, a panel-side adhesivecomponent, and a release component; and c) coupling the panels to asubstrate with the adhesive tape in a side-by-side arrangement to coverthe substrate, the substrate-side adhesive component being adhered tothe substrate, the panel-side adhesive component being adhered to therear surface of the panels, and the release component being locatedbetween the substrate-side adhesive component and the panel-sideadhesive component.

In another aspect, the invention may be a method of covering a surface,the method comprising: a) providing a plurality of panels, each of thepanels comprising a rear surface having a panel-side adhesive componentcoupled thereto; b) coupling a substrate-side adhesive component to asubstrate, wherein a release component is coupled to an outer surface ofone of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components; and c)coupling the panels to the substrate with the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components, the panels being placed in aside-by-side arrangement to cover the substrate, the release componentbeing located between the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents.

In yet another aspect, the invention may be a method of covering asurface, the method comprising: a) providing a panel comprising a rearsurface having an adhesive tape thereon, the adhesive tape comprising apanel-side adhesive component, a substrate-side adhesive component, anda release component located between the panel-side adhesive componentand the substrate-side adhesive component; and b) coupling the panel tothe substrate with the adhesive tape, the substrate-side adhesivecomponent being adhered to the substrate and the panel-side adhesivecomponent being adhered to the rear surface of the panel.

In still another aspect, the invention may be an apparatus for coveringa surface, the apparatus comprising: a panel comprising a rear surface;an adhesive tape coupled to the rear surface of the panel, the adhesivetape comprising: a panel-side adhesive component comprising at least oneadhesive layer adhered to the rear surface of the panel; asubstrate-side adhesive component comprising at least one adhesivelayer; and a release component positioned between the panel-sideadhesive component and the substrate-side adhesive component.

In a further aspect, the invention may be an adhesive tape comprising: alaminate structure comprising a first surface and a second surfaceopposite the first surface, the laminate structure comprising: a firstadhesive layer forming the first surface of the laminate structure, thefirst adhesive layer having a first adhesive strength; a second adhesivelayer forming the second surface of the laminate structure, the secondadhesive layer having a second adhesive strength; and a third adhesivelayer positioned between the first and second adhesive layers and havinga third adhesive strength, the third adhesive strength being less thanat least one of the first and second adhesive strengths.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention willbe described with reference to the following drawings, where likeelements are labeled similarly, and in which:

FIG. 1 is schematic view of a surface covering system including a panel,an adhesive tape, and a substrate in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention, wherein the adhesive tape is separate from thepanel and the substrate;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the surface covering system of FIG. 1wherein the adhesive tape is adhered to the panel;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the surface covering system of FIG. 1wherein the adhesive tape is adhered to the substrate;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the surface covering system of FIG. 1wherein a substrate-side adhesive component of the adhesive tape iscoupled to the substrate and a panel-side adhesive component of theadhesive tape is coupled to the panel;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a first alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a second alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a third alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a fourth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a fifth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a sixth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a seventh alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith an eighth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a ninth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a tenth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith an eleventh alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a twelfth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a thirteenth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a fourteenth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of a surface covering system in accordancewith a fifteenth alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 20A-20C illustrates a method of covering a surface with a panelusing an adhesive tape in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 20D-20G illustrate a method of removing the panel from thesurface;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a panel having a panel-sideadhesive component thereon and a substrate having a substrate-sideadhesive component thereon, wherein the panel-side and adhesive-sidecomponents are arranged parallel to one another;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a panel having a panel-sideadhesive component thereon and a substrate having a substrate-sideadhesive component thereon, wherein the panel-side and adhesive-sidecomponents are arranged perpendicular to one another;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a substrate having aplurality of panels thereon and illustrating an additional panel beingcoupled to the substrate; and

FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating the substrate of FIG. 23 withthe plurality of panels including the additional panel coupled to thesubstrate.

All drawings are schematic and not necessarily to scale. Parts given areference numerical designation in one figure may be considered to bethe same parts where they appear in other figures without a referencenumerical designation for brevity unless specifically labeled with adifferent part number and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The features and benefits of the invention are illustrated and describedherein by reference to exemplary embodiments. This description ofexemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. Accordingly, the disclosure expressly should not belimited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possiblenon-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in othercombinations of features.

In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference todirection or orientation is merely intended for convenience ofdescription and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of thepresent invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,”“horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and“bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,”“downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to theorientation as then described or as shown in the drawing underdiscussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description onlyand do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in aparticular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,”“connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to arelationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one anothereither directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well asboth movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expresslydescribed otherwise.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a surface covering system 100 is illustratedin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The surfacecovering system 100 generally comprises a panel 110, an adhesive tape120, and a substrate 140. In some embodiments, the invention may bedirected to an installation kit that includes the panel 110 and theadhesive tape 120 and in other embodiments the invention may be directedto the adhesive tape 120 by itself. In embodiments that are directed tothe installation kit, the adhesive tape 120 may be prefabricated ontothe panel 110 by the manufacturer such that the panel 110 is sold withthe adhesive tape 120 (or portions thereof) already attached to it, orthe panel 110 and the adhesive tape 120 may be sold as separatecomponents that are intended to be coupled together by the consumer atthe installation site.

The panel 110 is configured to be coupled or attached to the substrate140 using the adhesive tape 120. Although FIG. 1 only illustrates one ofthe panels 110 being coupled to the substrate 140, in certainembodiments the surface covering system 100 comprises a plurality of thepanels 110, each of which is detachably coupled to the substrate 140(see, for example, FIGS. 23 and 24). Thus, in accordance with theinvention set forth herein, a plurality of the panels 110 may be coupledto the substrate 140 using the adhesive tape 120, as discussed morefully herein. Specifically, a plurality of the panels 110 may bedetachably coupled to the substrate 140 (using the adhesive tape 120) ina side-by-side arrangement so that the panels 110 collectively cover thesubstrate 140. As used herein, covering the substrate 140 includespartially covering the substrate 140 and/or covering an entirety of thesubstrate 140. A user can cover as much of the substrate 140 as he/shedesires using one or more of the panels 110 and the installationtechniques described herein. The substrate 140 has an exposed outersurface 141 that is covered by the panels 110 as described herein.

The substrate 140 may be any surface that it may be desirable to coverwith one or more of the panels 110. For example, the substrate 140 maybe a subfloor to which flooring is attached, a wall to which wall panelsare attached, or a ceiling to which ceiling panels are attached. Thesubstrate 140 may be an interior wall (such as drywall, wood, or thelike) or an exterior wall (such as siding, stucco, concrete, brick,wood, or the like) Thus, the substrate 140 may be formed of a variety ofdifferent materials or compositions, including without limitation wood,metal, brick, plastic, fabric, fibrous sheet, glass, ceramic, concrete,plastic film/sheet, paper, medium density fiberboard, fiberglass,mineral fiber sheet, drywall, or the like. In certain embodiments thesubstrate 140 may be drywall that may or may not be covered with paint,wallpaper, or the like. The substrate 140 is illustrated as beingflat/planar in the exemplified embodiment, but the invention is not tobe so limited in all embodiments and the substrate 140 may be curved inalternative embodiments. Furthermore, the substrate 140 may behorizontal (such as when the substrate is a floor or a ceiling),vertical (such as when the substrate 140 is a wall), or oriented at anangle. The exposed outer surface 141 of the substrate 140 may be asmooth surface, a textured surface, or the like in various embodiments.

The panel 110 comprises a front surface 101 and a rear surface 102opposite the front surface 101. Any of the panels 110 described hereinmay be formed into any desired shape, including without limitationcircular, square, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal,irregular shapes, or the like. The panel 110 may be formed into anysize, shape, or pattern and may have any desired thickness. Furthermore,the panel 110 may be made of any desired material, including withoutlimitation wood, metal, brick, plastic, fabric, fibrous sheet, glass,ceramic, concrete, plastic film/sheet, paper, medium-density fiberboard,fiberglass, mineral fiber sheet, or the like. In certain preferredembodiments, the panel 110 may be formed from wood, medium-densityfiberboard, or a fibrous sheet with dimensional stability and otherfunctional performances. For example, in some embodiments the panel 110may have acoustic properties such that the panels 110 can enhance theacoustics within an interior space. In some embodiments the panel 110may have aesthetic features, such as by having the front surface 111,which is exposed when the panel 110 is coupled to the substrate 140,comprising a specific color, pattern, texture, or surface finish.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the adhesive tape 120 is an integrallaminate structure comprising a panel-side adhesive component 121 havinga first surface 122 and a second surface 123 opposite the first surface122, a substrate-side adhesive component 124 having a first surface 125and a second surface 126 opposite the first surface 125, and a releasecomponent 127 having a first surface 128 and a second surface 129opposite the first surface 128. As discussed more below, in otherembodiments the panel-side adhesive component 121 may not be integralwith the substrate-side adhesive component 124, but rather these may beseparate components that are only attached to one another when thepanels 110 are being installed on the substrate 140. Thus, thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 may be maintained separately (such as in rolls or thelike) until such time as they are needed to couple the panel 110 to thesubstrate 140. In embodiments that maintain the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 separately from one another,the release component 127 may be attached to one of the panel-side orsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 or the release component mayalso be maintained separate from the panel-side and substrate-sideadhesive components 121, 124. Regardless, when the panel 110 is coupledto the substrate 140, the panel-side adhesive component 121, thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124, and the release component 127 arecoupled together and collectively form the adhesive tape 120.

In the exemplified embodiment, the panel-side adhesive component 121,the substrate-side adhesive component 124, and the release component 127are arranged in the adhesive tape 120 so that the release component 127is positioned in between the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124. More specifically, the first surface 122 of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 faces, and in the exemplifiedembodiment is adhered to, the first surface 128 of the release component127 and the first surface 125 of the substrate-side adhesive component124 faces, and in the exemplified embodiment is adhered to, the secondsurface 129 of the release component 127. This enhances the ability ofthe adhesive tape 120 to separate at the release component 127 so thatthe panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 may beseparated from one another when removing an installed panel 110 from thesubstrate 140, as described more fully below. Furthermore, in theexemplified embodiment a first release liner 130 covers the secondsurface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 and a secondrelease liner 131 covers the second surface 126 of the substrate-sideadhesive component 124. However, in other embodiments one or both of thefirst and second release liners 130, 131 may be omitted. In someembodiments, the adhesive tape 120 may be self-wound roll that onlyrequires a single peelable liner having a release coating on both sides.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the panel-side adhesive component 121 andthe substrate-side adhesive component 124 are illustrated as a singlelayer. In some embodiments, the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124 may comprise a single layer. However, the inventionis not to be so limited and at least one, or possibly both, of thepanel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 may comprisemultiple layers in other embodiments, some examples of which aredescribed herein below. Thus, the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124 may be shown as a single layer for simplicity evenif they actually comprise multiple layers. Furthermore, although therelease component 127 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single layercomponent, in other embodiments it may also be a multi-layeredstructure, some examples of which are also described herein below. Thus,the panel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 each comprise at least one adhesive layer. In someembodiments described herein at least one, or possibly both, of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 may comprise multiple adhesive layers that are separatedby a carrier layer (see, for example, FIG. 13). Different embodiments ofthe panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124comprising a single adhesive layer and multiple adhesive layers aredepicted in FIGS. 5-22.

Whether the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124comprise one or more adhesive layers, the first and second surfaces 122,123, 125, 126 of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components121, 124 are adhesive surfaces. An adhesive surface is a surface that isable to stick to another surface or object because the adhesive surfaceis either formed by or comprises an adhesive material. In certainembodiments, the first and second surfaces 122, 123 of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 are formed from an adhesive material. This can bedue to a single adhesive layer forming the first and second surfaces122, 123 or a first adhesive layer forming the first surface 122 and asecond adhesive layer forming the second surface 123. Regardless, thefirst surface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 should be anadhesive surface to facilitate coupling of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 to the release component 127 and the second surface 123 ofthe panel-side adhesive component 121 should be an adhesive surface tofacilitate coupling of the panel-side adhesive component 121 to thepanel 110. Similarly, in certain embodiments the first and secondsurfaces 125, 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 areformed from an adhesive material. This can be due to a single adhesivelayer forming the first and second surfaces 125, 126 or a first adhesivelayer forming the first surface 125 and a second adhesive layer formingthe second surface 126. Regardless, the first surface 125 of thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 should be an adhesive surface tofacilitate coupling of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 to therelease component 127 and the second surface 126 of the substrate-sideadhesive component 125 should be an adhesive surface to facilitatecoupling of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 to the exposedouter surface 141 of the substrate 140. In one embodiment, at least oneof the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 andthe first surface 125 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is anadhesive surface to allow the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124 to be coupled to one another, although it ispreferred that both be adhesive surfaces due to the release component127 being located between the first surfaces 122, 125 of the panel-sideand substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124.

For each embodiment described herein, the adhesive layers can be formedfrom or comprise any type of adhesive material, such as acrylic,synthetic or natural rubber, acrylate, ethylene-vinyl acetate, hot-melt,nitriles, silicon rubbers, styrene block copolymers, or the like.Functional additives such as heat stabilizer, light stabilizer,tackifier, flame retardant, pigment, and filler could also be includedin these adhesive layers. Each of the adhesive layers may have athickness of between 0.1-100 mils, preferably between 0.5-5 mils, andmore preferably between 0.5-3 mils. For embodiments that utilize amulti-layer adhesive construction, each layer of adhesive may have thesame composition and thickness or a different composition and/orthickness. In some embodiments, as described more fully below, it may bepreferable to have a differentiated adhesive strength for each adhesivelayer such that an internal adhesive layer has a lower adhesive strengththan an external adhesive layer.

Furthermore, unless specified in the claims, each adhesive layer can bea permanent adhesive or a removable adhesive. A permanent adhesive isone that cannot be separated from the surface to which it is attachedwithout damaging that surface whereas a removable adhesive is one thatcan be separated from the surface to which it is attached withoutdamaging that surface. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 to be removable from the substrate140 and in some embodiments it may be desirable for the panel-sideadhesive component 121 to be removable from the panel 110. In thatregard, it may be desirable for an adhesive layer of the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 that adheres to the substrate 140 to be aremovable adhesive so that it can be readily removed from the substrate140 without damaging the substrate. Similarly, it may be desirable foran adhesive layer of the panel-side adhesive component 121 that adheresto the panel 110 to be a removable adhesive so that it can be readilyremoved from the panel 110 without damaging the panel 110. This conceptwill be discussed more fully below. A removable adhesive is one that canbe removed by peeling or other methods without causing damage to thesurface to which the adhesive is adhered. Stated another way, aremovable adhesive can be removed with a lower force than the forcerequired to damage the surface on which the adhesive is adhered.

As noted above and described in more detail below, the adhesive materialmay be manufactured and applied onto a suitable carrier using commoncoating or laminating processes. There are embodiments of the inventiondescribed below that illustrate these layers, referred to herein ascarrier layers. Such carrier layers may have functions that includeincreased handling strength, cushioning, increased holding power,protection of the adhesive and interface, gap filler, impact resistance,and the like. Examples of the materials that may be used for the carrierlayers include foam, plastic film, paper, woven or non-woven sheets,metal foil, fibrous sheets, or the like. Such carrier layers may have athickness of between 0.1 mil and 1 inch, and more specifically between0.5 mils and 100 mils.

The release component 127 may comprise any material that facilitatesseparation of the panel-side adhesive component 121 from thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124, as described more fully herein.Specifically, as noted above the release component 127 is positioneddirectly between the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 and the first surface 125 of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124, both of which are adhesive surfaces. As will be discussedmore fully below, the bond strength between the release component 127and at least one of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124 is less than the bond strength between thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the panel 110 and between thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 and the substrate 140. As aresult, upon a removal force being applied onto the panel 110 to removethe panel 110 from the substrate 140, the panel-side adhesive component121 will separate from the substrate-side adhesive component 124 at therelease component 127. Generally, this means that either the panel-sideadhesive component 121 will separate from the release component 127while the release component 127 remains attached to the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 or the substrate-side adhesive component 121 willseparate from the release component 127 and the release component 127remains attached to the panel-side adhesive component 121.Alternatively, the release component 127 may separate from itself sothat part of the release component 127 remains attached to thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the remainder of the releasecomponent 127 remains attached to the substrate-side adhesive component124.

In some embodiments, the release component 127 may comprise a releasecoating that is silicone-based or non-silicone-based. Suchnon-silicone-based release coatings include solvent-based coatings,polypropylene and polyethylene extrudable release coatings, water-basedcoatings, or the like. In other embodiments described herein, therelease component 127 may comprise an adhesive layer comprising anadhesive material having an adhesive strength that is less than anadhesive strength of at least one adhesive layer of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 and/or the substrate-side adhesive component 124.These variations will be discussed in the different embodiments providedherewith.

In FIG. 1, the adhesive tape 120 is an integral structure as notedabove. Such an adhesive tape 120 may be maintained in a rolled-upconfiguration (or any other desired configuration, such as beingmaintained in strip-like form or the like) until its desired use, atwhich time the adhesive tape 120 or a portion thereof may be unrolledand cut if needed for use in coupling the panels 110 to the substrate140. The adhesive tape 120, when an integral structure as shown in FIG.1, may be used to couple the panel 110 to the substrate 140 in one oftwo ways. The first way includes first removing the first peelable liner130 from the second surface 123 of the panel-side adhesive component121. Next, the remainder of the adhesive tape 120 may be coupled to therear surface 112 of the panel 110 by placing the second surface 123 ofthe panel-side adhesive component 121 (which is adhesive) into contactwith the rear surface 112 of the panel 110, thereby adhering theadhesive tape 120 to the panel 110. This is illustrated in FIG. 2. Thepanel 110 with the adhesive tape 120 thereon can then be coupled to thesubstrate 140.

The second way that the adhesive tape 120 may be used to couple thepanel 110 to the substrate 140 is by first removing the second peelableliner 131 from the second surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 and then coupling the remainder of the adhesive tape 120to the exposed outer surface 141 of the substrate 140. In thisembodiment, the adhesive tape 120 is coupled to the substrate 140 byadhering the second surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component124 (which is adhesive) to the exposed outer surface 141 of thesubstrate 140. This is illustrated in FIG. 3. Next, the first peelableliner 130 would be removed from the panel-side adhesive component 121and the panel 110 would be adhered to the panel-side adhesive component121 to couple the panel 110 to the substrate 140.

In one embodiment, the panel 110 and the adhesive tape 120 may bemaintained separate from one another until a user couples the adhesivetape 120 to the panel 110. In another embodiment, the adhesive tape 120(or just the panel-side adhesive component 121 thereof) may beprefabricated onto the rear surface 111 of the panel 110 such that apanel apparatus that comprises the panel 110 and the adhesive tape 120(without the first peelable liner 130) is formed. In such an embodiment,the panel apparatus may be sold with the adhesive tape 120 (or portionthereof) already coupled to the panel 110. Such a panel apparatus mayinclude the second peelable liner 131 but not the first peelable liner(as shown in FIG. 2).

Referring to FIG. 4, the adhesive tape 120 is illustrated such that thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 are separate from one another. Thus, the panel-sideadhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesive component 124 maybe maintained separately from one another until a user desires to usethe panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 to couplethe panel 110 to the substrate 140. Each of the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 may be maintained in arolled-up configuration (or any other desired configuration, such asbeing maintained in strip-like form or the like) prior to their use. Theadhesive tape 120 may include one or more peelable liners (not shown) oneach exposed surface to maintain the integrity of the adhesive tape 120while it is being stored prior to use.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the release component 127 iscoupled to the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component121. However, in other embodiments the release component 127 may insteadbe coupled to the first surface 125 of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124. The release component 127 may be prefabricated onto oneof the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124, orthe release component 127 may be maintained and/or sold separately fromthe panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 andcoupled thereto by the consumer prior to installation. In an embodimentwhereby the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124are maintained separate from one another prior to their being used tocouple the panel 110 to the substrate 140, the release component 127 iscoupled to one of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components121, 124 such that when the panel 110 is coupled to the substrate 140using the adhesive tape 120, the release component 127 is positionedbetween the panel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-sideadhesive component 124. Thus, the release component 127 is illustratedcoupled to the panel-side adhesive component 121 in FIG. 4, but it mayjust as readily be coupled to the substrate-side adhesive component 124in other embodiments.

When it is desired to couple the panel 110 to the substrate 140 usingthe adhesive tape 120 as shown in FIG. 4, the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is coupled to the panel 110 and the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 is coupled to the substrate 140. Next, the panel110 is attached to the substrate 140 by aligning the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 with the substrate-side adhesive component 124 and movingthe panel 110 towards the substrate 140 until the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 collectively hold the panel110 on the substrate 140. More specifically, the panel 110 is movedtowards the substrate 140 until the release component 127 is disposedbetween the panel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-sideadhesive component 124. Thus, in this embodiment the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 are connected (indirectlybecause the release component 127 is located between the panel-side andsubstrate-side adhesive components 121, 124) to mount or couple thepanel 110 to the substrate 140. In the embodiments of FIGS. 1-4, therelease component 127 may simply be a release coating without a carrierlayer, or it may comprise multiple layers (specific examples of whichare provided below).

FIGS. 5-19 illustrate several modification and variations for thepanel-side adhesive component 121, the substrate-side adhesive component124, and/or the release component 127. For all of these embodiments, thedescription set forth above with regard to FIGS. 1-4 is applicable.Specifically, the description and examples of adhesives, releasecoatings, carrier layers, panels, and substrates are applicable to theembodiments described below. Some of these figures may include referencenumerals that are not described with regard to that particular figure.In such instances, the description of the feature having that samereference numeral has been provided for an earlier described embodimentand that earlier description is applicable.

Furthermore, in FIGS. 5-19, the adhesive tape 120 may be an integralstructure including all of the various layers of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121, the substrate-side adhesive component 124, and therelease component 127. The adhesive tape 120 may be applied to the panel110 first and then the panel 110 coupled to the substrate 140 or theadhesive tape 120 may be applied to the substrate 140 first and then thepanel 110 coupled to the substrate 140. Alternatively, the adhesive tape120 may comprise separate components that are attached to one anotherduring installation of the panel 110 on the substrate 140 such that thepanel-side adhesive component 121 is attached to the panel 110, thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 is attached to the substrate 140,and then the two are attached together (with the adhesive component 127being disposed between the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124).

Although described herein as being a separate component, in someembodiments the release component 127 attached to one of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 or the substrate-side adhesive component 124during manufacture. Thus, the release component 127 may be asub-component or sub-layer(s) of one of the panel-side or substrate-sideadhesive components 121, 124. In such an embodiment, if the panel-sideand substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 are maintainedseparately (rather than being part of a unitary laminate structure), therelease component 127 would form part of the laminate structure of theone of the panel-side or substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 towhich it is attached.

Referring to FIG. 5, a surface mounting system 200 is illustrated inaccordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, the panel 110 and the substrate 140 are identical tothat which has been described above and the previous disclosure of thosecomponents is applicable. The adhesive tape 120 comprises the panel-sideadhesive component 121, the substrate-side adhesive component 124, andthe release component 127 between the panel-side and substrate-sideadhesive components 121, 124. In this embodiment, the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 comprises one adhesive layer 132. Both of thefirst and second surfaces 125, 126 of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 are formed by the adhesive layer and comprise an adhesivematerial. Similarly, the panel-side adhesive component 121 in thisembodiment comprises one adhesive layer 133. Both of the first andsecond surfaces 122, 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 areformed by the adhesive layer 133 and comprise an adhesive material.

The difference between the system 200 and the system 100 is that therelease component 127 comprises a carrier layer 135 and a releasecoating 136. The carrier layer 135 has a first surface 137 and a secondsurface 138 opposite the first surface 137. In this embodiment, therelease coating 136 is located on the second surface 138 of the carrierlayer 135 and the first surface 137 of the carrier layer 135 is free ofa release coating. When fully assembled, the first surface 122 of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 is adhered to the first surface 137 ofthe carrier layer 135 of the release component 127 and the first surface125 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is adhered to therelease coating 136. The bond strength between the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 and the release coating 136 is less than: (1) thebond strength between the panel-side adhesive component 121 and thecarrier layer 135; (2) the bond strength between the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 and the panel 110; and (3) the bond strength between thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 and the substrate 140. Thus, ifafter installation a user applies a removal force to the panel 110 toseparate it from the substrate 140, the adhesive tape 120 will separateat the interface between the substrate-side adhesive component 124 andthe release coating 136. After such separation, the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 will remain coupled to the panel 110 and thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 will remain coupled to thesubstrate 140, although as described below they may later be removedtherefrom, preferably without damaging the panel 110 and the substrate140. It should be appreciated that the release component 127 could beflipped (i.e., rotated 180°) so that the carrier layer 135 is adhered tothe substrate-side adhesive component 124 and the release coating 136 isadhered to the panel-side adhesive component 121.

Referring to FIG. 6, a surface covering system 210 is illustrated inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The system210 is very similar to the system 200 of FIG. 5, and thus only thedifferences between these two systems will be described below, it beingunderstood that the description of the system 200 is otherwiseapplicable. The system 210 generally comprises the panel 110, thesubstrate 140, and the adhesive tape 120. The adhesive tape 120comprises the panel-side adhesive component 121, which in thisembodiment comprises the adhesive layer 133, a substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124, which in this embodiment comprises the adhesive layer132, and a release component 127. The difference in this embodiment isin the structure of the release component 127. Specifically, in thisembodiment the release component 127 comprises a carrier layer 135having a first surface 137 and a second surface 138, a first releasecoating 139 on the first surface 137 and a second release coating 136 onthe second surface 138. Thus, both opposing surfaces of the carrierlayer 135 are covered with a release coating 136, 139.

Thus, in this embodiment when the panel 110 is coupled to the substrate140 using the adhesive tape 120, the adhesive tape 120 may separate atone of two locations when a user applies a removal force onto the panel110. Specifically, the adhesive tape 120 may separate at the interfaceof the panel-side adhesive component 121 and the first release coating139 or the adhesive tape 120 may separate at the interface of thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 and the second release coating136. This is due to those interfaces having a reduced bond strengthrelative to the other interfaces between the various layers of theadhesive tape 120.

FIG. 7 illustrates a surface covering system 220 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is identical to FIG.5 except for the following. In this embodiment, the release coating 136is positioned on the first surface 137 of the carrier layer 135 ratherthan on the second surface 138 of the carrier layer 135 as with FIG. 5.As a result, the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is adhered to thesecond surface 138 of the carrier layer 135 and the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is adhered to the release coating 136 when the adhesivetape 120 is assembled as has been described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates a surface covering system 230 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, thepanel-side adhesive component 121 comprises one adhesive layer 133 andthe release component 127 comprises a carrier layer 135 and a releasecoating 136 similar to that which has been described above with regardto FIG. 5. The difference in this embodiment is with regards to thestructure of the substrate-side adhesive component 124. Specifically,the substrate-side adhesive component 124 comprises a first adhesivelayer 142 having a first surface 143 and a second surface 144 oppositethe first surface 143, a carrier layer 145 having a first surface 146and a second surface 147 opposite the first surface 146, and a secondadhesive layer 148 having a first surface 149 and a second surface 150opposite the first surface 149

In this embodiment, the second surface 150 of the second adhesive layer148 forms the first surface 125 of the substrate-side adhesive component124 and the first surface 143 of the first adhesive layer 142 forms thesecond surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124. Thus,when the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is adhered to thesubstrate 140, the second surface 150 of the second adhesive layer 148is adhered to the release component 127 and the first surface 143 of thefirst adhesive layer 142 is adhered to the substrate 140. The first andsecond surfaces 143, 144 of the first adhesive layer 142 and the firstand second surfaces 149, 150 of the second adhesive layer 148 allcomprise an adhesive material so that those surfaces are adhesive ortacky to facilitate the coupling of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 to the substrate 140 and to the release component 127 asdescribed herein.

Although in the embodiment of FIG. 8 the release component 127 isillustrated such that the carrier layer 135 thereof is attached to thepanel-side adhesive component 121, the invention is not to be so limitedand the release component 127 could be flipped (i.e., rotated) 180° sothat the carrier layer 135 is adhered to the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 121. Either way, the release component 127 is located betweenthe panel-side adhesive component 121 and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 when the adhesive tape 120 is fully assembled.

Referring to FIG. 9, a surface covering system 240 is illustrated inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The surfacecovering system 240 is essentially the reverse of the surface coveringsystem 230 because in the surface covering system 240 the panel-sideadhesive component 121 comprises multiple layers and the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 comprises a single adhesive layer. Specifically,in this embodiment the panel-side adhesive component 121 comprises afirst adhesive layer 151, a carrier layer 152, and a second adhesivelayer 153 and the substrate-side adhesive component 121 comprises asingle adhesive layer 154. Furthermore, the release component 127comprises a carrier layer 135 and a release coating 136 as describedabove with reference to FIG. 5.

The first adhesive layer 151 comprises a first surface 155 that formsthe second surface 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 and anopposite second surface 156. Furthermore, the second adhesive layer 153comprises a first surface 157 that forms the first surface 122 of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and an opposite second surface 158.The first and second surfaces 155, 156 of the first adhesive layer 151and the first and second surfaces 157, 158 of the second adhesive layer157 all comprise an adhesive or tacky material to facilitate thecoupling together of the various layers of the adhesive tape 120 as hasbeen described thoroughly above.

Referring to FIG. 10, yet another embodiment of a surface coveringsystem 250 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 comprises a single adhesive layer 159 and the releasecomponent 127 comprises the carrier layer 135 and the release coating136. The main difference in this embodiment is with regards to thestructure of the substrate-side adhesive component 124, which comprisesa first adhesive layer 160, a first carrier layer 161, a second adhesivelayer 162, a second carrier layer 163, and a third adhesive layer 164.Thus, this embodiment merely adds multiple adhesive layers such thatadjacent ones of the adhesive layers are separated by a carrier layer.This can increase handling strength, cushioning, holding power, and thelike.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the various adhesive layers 160, 162, 164may have different adhesive strengths to further facilitate the internalseparation of the adhesive tape 120. For example, the first adhesivelayer 160 may have a first adhesive strength, the second adhesive layer162 may have a second adhesive strength, and the third adhesive layer164 may have a third adhesive strength. It may be preferable in someembodiments for the first adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer160 to be greater than the second adhesive strength of the secondadhesive layer 162 and/or greater than the third adhesive strength ofthe third adhesive layer 164. In some embodiments, the first adhesivestrength is greater than the second adhesive strength and the secondadhesive strength is greater than the third adhesive strength.

In some embodiments, the adhesive strength (or bonding strength) of thefirst adhesive layer 160 to the first carrier layer 161 should begreater than the adhesive strength (or bonding strength) of the firstadhesive layer 160 to the substrate 140. Thus, during the removalprocess of adhesive tape 120, the first adhesive layer 160 will stayattached to the first carrier layer 161 and leave the substrate 140clean. In such an embodiment, the adhesive strength or bonding strengthof the first adhesive layer 160 to the substrate 140 should be lowerthan the integral strengths of the substrate 140, such as the forcerequired to peel, tear, pull or cause other damage to the substrate 140.Thus, although the first adhesive layer 160 is removed from thesubstrate 140 during the removal of the panel 110, it will not damagethe substrate 140. This may be applicable to all other embodiments ofthe present invention.

This variation in adhesive strengths will cause the adhesive tape 120 toseparate at the interface of the third adhesive layer 164 and therelease component 127 or at the interface of the third adhesive layer164 and the second carrier layer 163, or at the interface of the secondadhesive layer 162 and either the first or second carrier layers 161,163, or the separation of adhesive layer 160 and the substrate 140before causing tearing or other damages to the substrate 140. In someembodiments, it is desired for the adhesive layer 160 alone or withother adjacent layers to remain adhered to the substrate 140 after thepanel 110 is removed from the substrate 140. In such embodiments, a usercan take a more precise approach when removing the first adhesive layer160 alone or with other adjacent layers from the substrate 140 and cando so in a manner that reduces the likelihood that the substrate 140will be damaged in the process. In other embodiments the adhesive layer160 may separate from the substrate 140 when the panel 110 is removedfrom the substrate 140 without causing damage to the substrate 140, asdiscussed above.

In this embodiment, the release component 127 is illustrated with thecarrier layer 135 adjacent to the panel-side adhesive component 121, butthe release component 127 could be flipped (i.e., rotated 180°) so thatits carrier layer 135 is adjacent to the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124. Furthermore, the release component 127 could include arelease coating on both surfaces of the carrier layer 135 as with theembodiment of FIG. 6. In fact, many variations of the embodimentsdisclosed herein are possible by mixing the structural and layer detailsof any of the disclosed panel-side adhesive components 121,substrate-side adhesive components 124, and release components 127.

Referring to FIG. 11, a surface covering system 260 is illustrated inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. Again,in this embodiment the release component 127 comprises the carrier layer135 and the release coating 136, although the carrier layer 135 could beomitted (as it could in all embodiments in which it is shown) or therecould be release coatings on both surfaces of the carrier layer 135.Furthermore, in this embodiment the panel-side adhesive component 121comprises a first adhesive layer 165, a first carrier layer 166, and asecond adhesive layer 167. Similarly, the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 comprises a first adhesive layer 168, a first carrierlayer 169, and a second adhesive layer 170. Thus, this embodiment merelyexemplifies that both the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents 121, 124 may comprise multiple adhesive layers that areseparated by carrier layers. The adhesive strengths of the variousadhesive layers may be the same or different as has been noted hereinabove. It is desired the adhesive strength of adhesive layer 168 to thecarrier layer 169 is greater than its adhesive strength to substrate 140surface, as the carrier layer can provide additional strength duringremoval of adhesive 168 layer from the substrate 140 surface.

Referring to FIG. 12, a surface covering system 270 is illustrated inaccordance with still another embodiment of the present invention. Thesurface covering system 270 of FIG. 12 is identical to the surfacecovering system 260 of FIG. 11 except that the release component 127 hasbeen flipped (i.e., rotated 180°) so that the carrier layer 135 of therelease component 127 is adhered to the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 rather than to the panel-side adhesive component 121 aswith the surface covering system 260. The details of the surfacecovering system 270 are self-explanatory based on the description setforth above with regard to the previously disclosed embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 13, yet another embodiment of a surface coveringsystem 280 is illustrated in accordance with the present invention. Inthis embodiment, the layered structure of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 and the release component 127 is the same as that whichwas shown and described in FIGS. 11 and 12. However, in this embodimentthe panel-side adhesive component 121 comprises a first adhesive layer171, a first carrier layer 172, a second adhesive layer 173, a secondcarrier layer 174, and a third adhesive layer 175. The third adhesivelayer 175 forms the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 and the first adhesive layer 171 forms the second surface123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate still additional embodiments. FIG. 14illustrates a surface covering system 290 that includes the panel-sideadhesive component 121 having a single adhesive layer, thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 having a first adhesive layer 176,a carrier layer 177 and a second adhesive layer 178, and the releasecomponent 127 comprising the carrier layer 135 and the release coating136. In this embodiment, the release component 127 is adhered to thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 prior to installation of the panel110 on the substrate 140. Of course, the release component 127 could beadhered to the panel-side adhesive component 121 prior to panel 110installation in alternative embodiments.

FIG. 15 illustrates a surface covering system 300 that is similar to thesurface covering system 290 of FIG. 14 except that the panel-sideadhesive component 121 is a multi-layered structure and thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 is a single layer structure.Specifically, the panel-side adhesive component 121 in this embodimentcomprises a first adhesive layer 179, a carrier layer 180, and a secondadhesive layer 181. Furthermore, in surface covering system 300 therelease component 127 is adhered to the panel-side adhesive component121 prior to installation of the panel 110 on the substrate 140. Ofcourse, the release component 127 could be adhered to the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 prior to panel 110 installation in alternativeembodiments.

FIG. 16 illustrates a surface covering system 310 in accordance with yetanother embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, thepanel-side adhesive component 121 comprises an adhesive layer 182 and acarrier layer 183. Of course, in other embodiments additional adhesivelayers and carrier layers could be added to the panel-side adhesivecomponent. However, as a modification to all of the previously describedembodiments, in this embodiment it is preferable that a carrier layerform the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component 121.Thus, the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 isnot formed of an adhesive material and is thus not adhesive. Theadhesive layer 182 forms the second surface 123 of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 that is adhered to the rear surface 112 of thepanel 110 when the panel 110 is installed on the substrate 140. Thecarrier layer 183 forms the first surface 122 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 that is coupled to the release component 127. This is incontrast to all of the embodiments described hereinbefore. Specifically,in all of the previously described embodiments the first and secondsurfaces 122, 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 were bothformed from an adhesive layer so that the first and second surfaces 122,123 were tacky or otherwise adhesive to facilitate coupling of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 to the panel 110 and to the releasecomponent 127. This is not required, or even desirable, in theembodiment of the surface covering system 310 due to a modification tothe structure of the release component 127, described more fully below.Thus, in this embodiment the first surface 122 of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 is free of an adhesive material.

In this embodiment, the substrate-side adhesive component 124 comprisesa first adhesive layer 184, a first carrier layer 185, a second adhesivelayer 186, and a second carrier layer 187. Of course, the secondadhesive and carrier layers 186, 187 could be omitted or additionalpairs of adhesive and carrier layers could be added to thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 in other embodiments. In theexemplified embodiment, the first adhesive layer 184 forms the secondsurface 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 and the secondcarrier layer 187 forms the first surface 125 of the substrate-sideadhesive component 124. Thus, similar to the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 of the surface covering system 310, the first surface 125of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 which faces (and adheresto) the release component 127 is not formed from a tacky or otherwiseadhesive material, but rather it is formed from a carrier layer that isdevoid of an adhesive.

Furthermore, in this embodiment the release component 127 comprises atleast one adhesive layer 188 having a first surface 194 and a secondsurface 195 opposite the first surface 194. In variations, the releasecomponent 127 could comprise multiple adhesive layers that are separatedby a carrier layer so long as the first and second surfaces 194, 195 ofthe release component 127 are formed from one of the adhesive layers.Thus, each of the first and second surfaces 194, 195 of the adhesivelayer 188 of the release component 127 are formed from or comprise anadhesive material so that those surfaces are adhesive. This is incontrast to all of the previously described embodiments whereby therelease component 127 comprised one or more release coatings (i.e.,silicone-based or non-silicone-based) with an optional carrier layer.The adhesive layer 188 of the release component 127 is positioneddirectly between the carrier layer 183 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 and the second carrier layer 187 of the substrate-sideadhesive component. Specifically, when the adhesive tape 120 is fullyassembled, the first surface 194 of the adhesive layer 188 of therelease component 127 is adhered to the carrier layer 183 of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 and the second surface 195 of theadhesive layer 188 of the release component 127 is adhered to the secondcarrier layer 187 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124.

In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 182 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 comprises a first adhesive strength, the first adhesivelayer 184 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 comprises asecond adhesive strength, and the adhesive layer 188 of the releasecomponent 127 comprises a third adhesive strength. Furthermore, thethird adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 188 of the releasecomponent 127 is less than at least one of the first adhesive strengthof the adhesive layer 182 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 andthe second adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer 184 of thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124. This allows for separation tooccur at the adhesive layer 188 of the release component 127 rather thanat the adhesive layer 182 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 orthe first adhesive layer 184 of the substrate-side adhesive component124 when the panel 110 is being removed from the substrate 140.

Stated another way, when the surface covering system 310 is fullyassembled, the substrate-side-adhesive component 124 is coupled to thesubstrate 140 with a first bond strength, the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is coupled to the panel 110 with a second bond strength,the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is coupled to the adhesivelayer 188 of the release component 127 with a third bond strength, andthe panel-side adhesive component 121 is coupled to the adhesive layer188 of the release component 127 with a fourth bond strength. In somesuch embodiments, at least one of the third and fourth bond strengths isless than each of the first and second bond strengths. Again, thisensures that when the panel 110 is being pulled away from the substrate140, the adhesive tape 120 will separate either between the panel-sideadhesive component 121 and the release component 127 or between thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 and the release component 127rather than between the panel-side adhesive component 121 and the panel110 or between the substrate-side adhesive component 124 and thesubstrate 140.

FIG. 17 illustrates a surface covering system 320 that is a slightvariation from the surface covering system 310 of FIG. 18. Specifically,in this embodiment the panel-side adhesive component 121 and thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 are illustrated as a singleadhesive layer. However, each of the panel-side and substrate-sideadhesive components 124 may comprise one or more layers (includingalternating adhesive and carrier layers). Furthermore, in thisembodiment the release component 127 comprises an adhesive layer 189having a first surface 190 and a second surface 191 opposite the firstsurface 190, a first carrier layer 192 on the first surface 190, and asecond carrier layer 193 on the second surface 191. When assembled, anadhesive layer of the panel-side adhesive component 121 is adhered tothe second carrier layer 193 of the release component 127 and anadhesive layer of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 is adheredto the first carrier layer 192 of the release component 127. In thisembodiment, the adhesive layer 189 of the release component 127 has anadhesive strength that is less than an adhesive strength of the adhesivelayer of the panel-side adhesive component 121 that is adhered to thesecond carrier layer 193 of the release component and less than anadhesive strength of the adhesive layer of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 that is adhered to the first carrier layer 192 of therelease component 127. Thus, as has been described above, during removalof the panel 110 from the substrate 140, one of the first and secondcarrier layers 192, 193 of the release component 127 will separate fromthe adhesive layer 189 of the release component 127 before thepanel-side adhesive component 121 separates from the panel 110 andbefore the substrate-side adhesive component 124 separates from thesubstrate 140.

Referring to FIG. 18, a surface covering system 330 is illustrated inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. Thesurface covering system 330 comprises a panel 331, a substrate 332, afirst connection component 340 and a second connection component 350.The details of the panels 110 provided above are applicable to the panel331 and the details of the substrate 140 provided above are applicableto the substrate 332. The panel 331 has a front surface 333 and a rearsurface 334 and the substrate 332 has an exposed outer surface 335.

The first connection component 340 comprises a first adhesive layer 341having a first surface 342 and a second surface 343. The firstconnection component 340 also comprises a first connection layer 344coupled to the second surface 343 of the first adhesive layer 341. Thefirst connection component 340 is configured to be coupled to the panel331 by adhering the first surface 342 of the first adhesive layer 341 tothe rear surface 334 of the panel 331. When the first connectioncomponent 340 is coupled to the panel 331, the first connection layer344 is exposed.

The second connection component 350 comprises a second adhesive layer351 having a first surface 352 and a second surface 353. The secondconnection component 350 also comprises a second connection layer 354coupled to the second surface 353 of the second adhesive layer 351. Thesecond connection component 350 is configured to be coupled to thesubstrate 331 by adhering the first surface 352 of the second adhesivelayer 351 to the exposed outer surface 335 of the substrate 332.

In the exemplified embodiment, the first connection layer 344 compriseshooks and the second connection layer 354 comprises loops. Morespecifically, each of the first and second connection layers 344, 354may comprise a fabric-type material with at least one of hooks and/orloops thereon. Thus, the first and second connection components 340, 350can be coupled together via interaction and engagement between the firstand second connection layers 344, 354. Of course, the invention is notto be limited by the embodiment exemplified in FIG. 18. In alternativeembodiments, the first connection layer 344 may comprise loops while thesecond connection layer 354 comprises hooks. In still other embodiments,both of the first and second connection layers 344, 354 may comprisehooks/loops that are capable of mating with one another to couple thefirst and second connection components 340, 350 together.

In this embodiment, the first connection component 340 is coupled to thepanel 331 and the second connection component 350 is coupled to thesubstrate 332. Next, the panel 331 is moved towards the substrate 332until the first connection layer 344 of the first connection component340 engages/mates with the second connection layer 354 of the secondconnection component 350. The engagement between the first and secondconnection layers 344, 354 (i.e., the hooks and loops) couples the firstand second connection components 340, 350 together, thereby coupling thepanel 331 to the substrate 332.

The panel 331 can be removed from the substrate 332 by pulling on thepanel 331 in a direction away from the substrate 331. Thus, in certainembodiments the first adhesive layer 341 of the first connectioncomponent 340 is connected to the panel 331 with a first bond strength,the second adhesive layer 351 of the second connection component 350 isconnected to the substrate 332 with a second bond strength, and thefirst and second connection layers 344, 354 are connected to each otherwith a third bond strength. Preferably, the third bond strength is lessthan each of the first and second bond strengths. As a result, whenpulling on the panel 331 during a removal operation, the connectionbetween the first and second connection layers 344, 354 will breakbefore the connection between the first adhesive layer 341 and the panel331 and the connection between the second adhesive layer 351 and thesubstrate 332 breaks. Thus, when the panel 331 is separated from thesubstrate 332, the first connection component 340 remains adhered to thepanel 331 and the second connection component 350 remains adhered to thesubstrate 332. In some embodiments, the first and second adhesive layers341, 351 are removable adhesives so that the first adhesive layer 341may later be removed/separated from the panel 331 without damaging thepanel 331 and the second adhesive layer 351 may later beremoved/separated from the substrate 332 without damaging the substrate332.

Referring now to FIG. 19, a surface covering system 360 will bedescribed in accordance with yet another embodiment of the presentinvention. The surface covering system 360 generally comprises a panel361 (or a plurality of the panels 361) having a front surface 362 and arear surface 363 opposite the front surface 362. In this embodiment, atleast the rear surface 363 of the panel 361 comprises or is formed fromweak surface strength material, for instance, a fibrous material thatthe surface fiber layer can be partially peeled/removed before thedamage of the substrate surface during removal of a panel. The system360 also comprises an adhesive tape 370. In the exemplified embodiment,the adhesive tape 370 comprises a first adhesive layer 371, a carrierlayer 372, and a second adhesive layer 373. However, the invention isnot to be so limited and in other embodiments the adhesive tape 370 maycomprise only the first adhesive layer 371. In still other embodiments,the adhesive tape 370 may include additional carrier, adhesive and/orrelease component layers as may be desired (i.e., three adhesive layersand two carrier layers, four adhesive layers and three carrier layers,etc.). The system 360 also includes a substrate 365 having an outersurface 366 to which the panel 361 is configured to be coupled.

In this embodiment, the adhesive tape 370 is coupled to the substrate365 and then the panels 361 are coupled to the adhesive tape 370. Morespecifically, the adhesive tape 370 comprises a first surface 374 and asecond surface 375 opposite the first surface 373. Each of the first andsurfaces 374, 375 is formed from an adhesive material (whether it isfrom a single adhesive layer or multiple adhesive layers as in theexemplified embodiment). The adhesive tape 370 is coupled to thesubstrate 365 by adhering the first surface 374 of the adhesive tape 370to the exposed outer surface 366 of the substrate 365. The panel 361 isthen coupled to the adhesive tape 370 by adhering the second surface 363of the panel 361 (which is formed from a fibrous material) to the secondsurface 375 of the adhesive tape 370 (which is formed from an adhesivematerial).

When it is time to remove the panel 361 from the substrate 365, a userwill pull on the panel 361 in a direction away from the substrate 365until the panel 361 separates from the substrate 365. The panels 361 andthe adhesive tape 370 are configured so that upon detaching one of thepanels 361 from the substrate 365, the adhesive tape 370 remains coupledto the substrate 365. Furthermore, when the panels 361 are detached fromthe adhesive tape 370 (and from the substrate 365), at least a portionof the surface layer material of the rear surface 363 of the panel 361remains attached or otherwise adhered to the adhesive tape 370. Theadhesive tape 370 is also configured so that it can then later beseparated from the substrate 365 without damaging the substrate 365.Thus, in this embodiment the panels 361 can be removed from thesubstrate 365 by peeling off some of the fibrous material/surface layerof the rear surface 363 of the panel 361 before any damage is done tothe substrate 365 by separating the adhesive tape 370 from the substrate365. In one embodiment, this occurs because the bond strength betweenthe adhesive tape 370 and the substrate 365 is greater than the bondstrength of the fibrous material to the panel 361. Thus, as the panel361 is pulled away from the substrate 365, the fibrous material willseparate from the panel 361 before the adhesive tape 370 separates fromthe substrate 365.

Referring to FIGS. 20A-20G, the process/method of installing one of thepanels 110 onto the substrate 140 and removing the one of the panels 110from the substrate 140 will be described. In FIGS. 20A-20G, the surfacecovering system 100 of FIGS. 1-4 is being used. However, it should bereadily appreciated that any of the other surface covering systems 200,210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 360 maybe used in the same or a similar manner that would be easily understoodand replicated by persons skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 20A, the first step in the process is to remove thefirst peelable liner 130 from the adhesive tape 120 to expose the secondsurface 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121. Of course, itshould be understood that the first step could alternatively be toremove the second peelable liner 131 from the adhesive tape 120 so thatthe second surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 isexposed. The first step of removal of peelable liner 130 or 131 could beomitted for self-wound adhesive tape roll as the exposed adhesive sidecould be directly attached to the surface of panel or substrate.Moreover, as described herein in other embodiments the adhesive tape 120may be prefabricated onto the rear surface 112 of the panel 110 and thusthis step would not be needed.

Next, referring to FIG. 20B, the adhesive tape 120 is adhered to therear surface 112 of the panel 110. Specifically, the adhesive tape 120is positioned so that the second surface 123 of the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is in surface contact with the rear surface 112 of thepanel 110. As a result of this surface contact and because the secondsurface 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 is an adhesivesurface, the adhesive tape 120 becomes adhered to the panel 110. Ofcourse, if the second peelable liner 131 were removed in the first step,the next step would be to adhere the adhesive tape 120 to the substrate140 rather than to the panel 110. Still referring to FIG. 20B, inaccordance with the embodiment shown, the next step is to remove thesecond peelable liner 131 from the remainder of the adhesive tape 120 toexpose the second surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesive component124.

Referring to FIG. 20C, the next step is to move the panel 110 with theadhesive tape 120 thereon into contact with the exposed outer surface141 of the substrate 140. More specifically, the panel 110 is movedtowards the substrate 140 until the second surface 126 of thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 (which is formed from or comprisesan adhesive material) contacts the exposed outer surface 141 of thesubstrate 140, thereby adhering the adhesive tape 120 to the substrate140. At this point in the installation, the panel 110 is coupled to thesubstrate 140 with the adhesive tape 120. Specifically, the secondsurface 123 of the panel-side adhesive component 121 is adhered to thepanel 110 and the second surface 126 of the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 is adhered to the substrate 140. Furthermore, the releasecomponent 127 is positioned between the panel-side and substrate-sideadhesive components 121, 124. More specifically, the release component127 is located directly between the first surface 122 of the panel-sideadhesive component 121 and the first surface 125 of the substrate-sideadhesive component 124.

Thus, upon completing the step shown in FIG. 20C, the panel 110 iscoupled to the substrate 140. These steps can be repeated to couple aplurality of the panels 110 to the substrate 140. In one embodiment,strips of the adhesive tape 120 can be coupled to the substrate 140 andthen a plurality of the panels 110 may be separately positioned on thesubstrate 140 in contact with the adhesive tape 120 to couple the panels110 to the substrate 140. In other embodiments, the adhesive tape 120may be coupled to the panels 110 first and then the panels 110 may becoupled to the substrate 140. In still another embodiment, thepanel-side adhesive component 121 may be coupled to the panels 110, thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 may be coupled to the substrate140, and then the panels 110 may be coupled to the substrate 140 byaligning the panel-side adhesive component 121 with the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 and pressing them into contact with one another.Thus, there are several different ways that coupling the panels 110 tothe substrate 140 can be achieved.

When the panel 110 is coupled to the substrate 140, thesubstrate-side-adhesive component 124 is coupled to the substrate 140with a first bond strength B1, the panel-side adhesive component 121 iscoupled to the panel 110 with a second bond strength B2, thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 is coupled to the releasecomponent 127 with a third bond strength B3, and the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is coupled to the release component 127 with a fourth bondstrength B4. In certain embodiments, at least one of the third andfourth bond strengths B3, B4 is less than each of the first and secondbond strengths B1, B2 to facilitate the manner in which the adhesivetape 120 separates when the panel 110 is being removed from thesubstrate 140, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 20D-20G.

FIGS. 20D-20G illustrate the method of removing the panels 110 from thesubstrate 140. To remove the panels 110 from the substrate 140, a userwill pull on the panels 110 in a direction away from the substrate 140with a force that is greater than at least one of the third and fourthbond strengths B3, B4. In the exemplified embodiment, as the user pullson the panel 110, the adhesive tape 120 separates at the interface ofthe panel-side adhesive component 121 and the release component 127. Ofcourse, in other embodiments the adhesive tape 120 may separate at theinterface of the substrate-side adhesive component 124 and the releasecomponent 127. However, it is preferable to have the adhesive tape 120separate at the interface of the release component 127 with one of thepanel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 rather thanat one of the interface of the panel-side adhesive component 121 and thepanel 110 and the interface of the substrate-side adhesive component 124and the substrate 140. This is preferable because if the adhesive tape120 were to separate from the substrate 140 or the panel 110 during thisremoval step, there is a higher likelihood that one of the panel 110 andthe substrate 140 would be damaged in the process.

Thus, in the exemplified embodiment, as the panel 110 is pulled from thesubstrate 140, the panel-side adhesive component 121 remainscoupled/adhered to the rear surface 112 of the panel 110 and thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 remains coupled/adhered to theexposed outer surface 141 of the substrate 140. As a result, no damageis done to the panel 110 or the substrate 140 at this step because noadhesive has been removed from the panel 110 or the substrate 140. Thisallows the user to take a more precise approach when removing theadhesive materials from the panel 110 and the substrate 140 to preventdamage of those components. Another benefit is that the removed panel110 could be reused by attaching to the substrate 140. Multiple cyclesof attaching and removing panel 110 on substrate 140 is also possible.

Referring to FIG. 20E, after the panel 110 has been separated from thesubstrate 140, the panel-side adhesive component 121 may be removed fromthe panel 110. This can be achieved in any desired manner, such as theuser peeling, cutting, pulling, or otherwise removing the panel-sideadhesive component 121 away from the panel 110. As discussed herein, insome embodiments the panel-side adhesive component 121 may comprise aremovable adhesive, at least on the second surface 123 thereof, whichwill allow for the panel-side adhesive component 121 to be removed fromthe panel 110 without damaging the panel 110.

Referring to 20F, the substrate-side adhesive component 124 may alsothen be removed from the substrate 140. Of course, the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 could be removed before the panel-side adhesivecomponent 121 is removed. This makes no difference. In fact, in someembodiments the panel-side adhesive component 121 may not be removedfrom the panel 110 but may instead be left thereon for re-use.Nonetheless, removing the substrate-side adhesive component 124 from thesubstrate 140 can be achieved in any desired manner, such as the userpeeling, cutting, pulling, or otherwise removing the substrate-sideadhesive component 124 away from the substrate 140. As discussed herein,in some embodiments the substrate-side adhesive component 124 maycomprise a removable adhesive, at least on the second surface 126thereof, which will allow for the substrate-side adhesive component 124to be removed from the substrate 140 without damaging the substrate 140.

FIG. 20G illustrates the panel 110 and the substrate 140 separated fromone another without the adhesive tape 120 present. The panel 110 and thesubstrate 140 have suffered no damage during the removal of the adhesivetape 120 therefrom.

FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate additional methods of coupling one of thepanels 110 to the substrate 140. In FIG. 21, one or more strips of thesubstrate-side adhesive component 124 are adhered to the exposed outersurface 141 of the substrate 140 and one or more strips of thepanel-side adhesive component 121 are adhered to the rear surface 112 ofthe panel 110. The coverage of the panel-side adhesive component 121 tothe rear surface 112 can be 100% or at any other desired percentage.Similarly, the coverage of substrate surface with substrate-sideadhesive component 124 can be 100% or at any other desired percentage.In FIG. 21, the release component 127 is illustrated attached to thepanel-side adhesive component 121, but in an alternative embodiment therelease component 127 could be attached to the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124.

In FIG. 21, there are two strips of the panel-side adhesive component121 that are elongated in a first direction and there are two strips ofthe substrate-side adhesive component 124 that are elongated in a seconddirection. Stated another way, the panel-side adhesive component 121 iselongated along a first axis A-A and the substrate-side adhesivecomponent 124 is elongated along a second axis B-B. In FIG. 21, thefirst and second directions (and hence also the first and second axesA-A, B-B) are parallel to one another. However, the invention is not tobe so limited in all embodiments. FIG. 22 illustrates the same thing asFIG. 21, except in FIG. 22 the second direction (i.e., the second axisD-D) along which the strips of the substrate-side adhesive component 124are elongated is perpendicular to the first direction (i.e., the firstaxis C-C) along which the strips of the panel-side adhesive component121 are elongated. In various embodiments, the first and seconddirections (and also the first and second axes along which the strips ofadhesive component are elongated) may be parallel to one another,non-parallel to one another, perpendicular to one another, or oblique toone another. With each of these various relative orientations of thestrips of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121,124, the adhesive tape 120 will still function in the manner disclosedherein.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate the process of coupling a plurality of thepanels 110 to the substrate 140, which in this case is a wall. As notedabove, the substrate 140 could alternatively be a ceiling, a floor, orany other surface which one might desire to cover with panels or someother decorative component. In FIG. 23, eight of the panels 110 arealready coupled to the substrate 140 in the manner described herein anda ninth panel 110 is in position to be coupled to the substrate 140using the panel-side and substrate-side adhesive components 121, 124 ofthe adhesive tape 120. FIG. 24 illustrates the ninth panel 110 alsoinstalled on the substrate 140.

In FIG. 24, the panels 110 are detachably coupled to the substrate 140by the adhesive tape 120 in a side-by-side arrangement to cover thesubstrate 140. In FIG. 24, the panels 110 collectively cover theentirety of the substrate 140. However, the panels 110 may cover just aportion of the substrate 140 rather than the entire substrate 140 inother embodiments. For example, a user may desire to only cover aportion of a wall with wall panels rather than covering the entire wallin order to achieve a desired aesthetic. When used on a wall, the panels110 could form a backsplash, a headboard, or any other type of wallcovering. The panels 110 may all have the same color, texture, pattern,or they may collectively form a pattern or design, or they may have arandom color, texture, and/or pattern. For example, the panels 110 couldhave a wood grain pattern, a brick-like pattern, a stone-likeappearance, or any other pattern to create a desired aesthetic.

In the embodiment exemplified in FIGS. 23 and 24, the panels 110 aresquare shaped panels such that when they are arranged side-by-side onthe substrate 140, their edges are lined up with one another. The panels110 could be arranged in an aligned manner as shown or they could bestaggered. Moreover, as noted above the panels 110 can have any desiredshape, including polygons, round shapes, and irregular shapes. Thepanels 110 could be arranged on the substrate in a spaced apart mannerin some embodiments rather than having their edges abutted against eachother as with the exemplified embodiment. Furthermore, the side-by-sidearrangement of the panels 110 could include tongue-and-groovearrangements or shiplap arrangements. Thus, the term side-by-sidearrangement includes an arrangement where the edges of adjacent panels110 are abutted against one another, spaced apart from one another,aligned with one another, overlapping one another such as having ashiplap or tongue-and-groove arrangement, or any other desiredarrangement. It merely means that a plurality of the panels 110 arecoupled to the same surface (i.e., wall, floor, ceiling, or the like).

While the foregoing description and drawings represent exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood thatvarious additions, modifications and substitutions may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope and range of equivalents ofthe accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to thoseskilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in otherforms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with otherelements, materials, and components, without departing from the spiritor essential characteristics thereof. In addition, numerous variationsin the methods/processes described herein may be made within the scopeof the present disclosure. One skilled in the art will furtherappreciate that the embodiments may be used with many modifications ofstructure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and componentsand otherwise, used in the practice of the disclosure, which areparticularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirementswithout departing from the principles described herein. The presentlydisclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive. The appended claims should beconstrued broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of thedisclosure, which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of covering a surface, the methodcomprising: a) providing a plurality of panels, each of the panelscomprising a rear surface; b) providing an adhesive tape comprising asubstrate-side adhesive component, a panel-side adhesive component, anda release component; and c) coupling the panels to a substrate with theadhesive tape in a side-by-side arrangement to cover the substrate, thesubstrate-side adhesive component being adhered to the substrate, thepanel-side adhesive component being adhered to the rear surface of thepanels, and the release component being located between thesubstrate-side adhesive component and the panel-side adhesive component.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the panels are panels are detachablycoupled to the substrate by the adhesive tape.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the adhesive tape is configured so that upon detaching one ofthe panels from the substrate, the adhesive tape separates at aninterface between the substrate-side adhesive component and the releasecomponent or at an interface between the panel-side adhesive componentand the release component.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thesubstrate-side adhesive component comprises a removable adhesive layer.5. The method of claim 4, wherein the substrate-side adhesive componentis configured to be removed from the substrate without damaging thesubstrate.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the panel-side adhesivecomponent comprises a removable adhesive layer.
 7. The method of claim6, wherein the panel-side adhesive component is configured to be removedfrom the panel without damaging the panel.
 8. A method of covering asurface, the method comprising: a) providing a plurality of panels, eachof the panels comprising a rear surface having a panel-side adhesivecomponent coupled thereto; b) coupling a substrate-side adhesivecomponent to a substrate, wherein a release component is coupled to anouter surface of one of the panel-side and substrate-side adhesivecomponents; and c) coupling the panels to the substrate with thepanel-side and substrate-side adhesive components, the panels beingplaced in a side-by-side arrangement to cover the substrate, wherein therelease component is located between the panel-side and substrate-sideadhesive components.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the panels arepanels are detachably coupled to the substrate by the adhesive tape. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein the adhesive tape is configured so thatupon detaching one of the panels from the substrate, the adhesive tapeseparates at an interface between the substrate-side adhesive componentand the release component or at an interface between the panel-sideadhesive component and the release component.
 11. The method of claim 8,wherein the substrate-side adhesive component comprises a removableadhesive layer.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the substrate-sideadhesive component is configured to be removed from the substratewithout damaging the substrate.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein thepanel-side adhesive component comprises a removable adhesive layer. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the panel-side adhesive component isconfigured to be removed from the panel without damaging the panel. 15.A method of covering a surface, the method comprising: a) providing apanel comprising a rear surface having an adhesive tape thereon, theadhesive tape comprising a panel-side adhesive component, asubstrate-side adhesive component, and a release component locatedbetween the panel-side adhesive component and the substrate-sideadhesive component; and b) coupling the rear surface of the panel to asubstrate comprising a surface, wherein the substrate-side adhesivecomponent is adhered to the substrate surface and the panel-sideadhesive component is adhered to the rear surface of the panel.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein the panels are panels are detachably coupledto the substrate by the adhesive tape.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the adhesive tape is configured so that upon detaching one ofthe panels from the substrate surface, the adhesive tape separates at aninterface between the substrate-side adhesive component and the releasecomponent or at an interface between the panel-side adhesive componentand the release component.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein thesubstrate-side adhesive component comprises a removable adhesive layer.19. The method of claim 18, wherein the substrate-side adhesivecomponent is configured to be removed from the substrate withoutdamaging the substrate.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the adhesivetape is an integral laminate structure such that the substrate-sideadhesive component, the panel-side adhesive component, and the releasecomponent are attached as a single unit prior to use of the adhesivetape.